t 9 Ham. The mouse-trap. Marry how? tropically. This play is the image of a murther done in Vienna; Gonzago is the duke's name, his wife, Baptifta. You fhall fee anon; 'tis a knavish piece of work; but what of that? Your majesty and we " that have free fouls, it touches us not. Let the gall'd jade winch; our withers are unwrung. Enter Lucianus. X This is one Lucianus, nephew to the king. Oph. You are as good as a chorus, my lord. Ham. I could interpret between you and your love, if I could fee the puppets dallying. Oph. You are keen, my lord, you are keen. Ham. It would coft you a groaning to take off my edge. a Oph. Still better and worse. s7. fpells this word, Gonzaga, different from all other editions. T. alters this to wife's; followed by the after editors except C. a The qu's read, Oph. Still better and worfe. Ham. So you mistake your bufbands. So T. and W; and 7. in his text, but gives a direction in his note to The 2d and 3d qu's, inftead of that read must take instead of mistake. The read fhall. w The ft q. reads unwrong. * So all the editions to T. who (as I obferved before) alters it to duke, followed by the reft. But it is remarkable that though P. in his duodecimo follows T. in the alteration of king into duke in this place; yet he fuffers king and queen ftill to ftand in the Dumb Shew above. fo's read as the qu's, only omitting the word your. R. follows the fo's, bating that he changes better and worfe into worfe and worse. Ham. So you must take your bufbands. So that must take instead of miftake is a conjecture of P.'s, and very probably Shakespeare wrote fo; but then he should not have followed R. in his alteration, worse and worse; hufbands being not taken fo, but for better y The fo's and R. read, You are a for suorfe. H. reads, Oph. Still worfe good chorus, &c. and worfe. Ham. So most of you take buf 2 Qu's, mint, bands, Ham. Ham. So you must take your husbands. --- Begin; therer. mur Leave thy damnable faces, and begin. Come: The croaking raven doth bellow for revenge. Luc. Thoughts black, hands apt, drugs fit, and time agreeing, с • Confederate feafon, elfe no creature seeing, Thou mixture rank, of midnight weeds collected, On wholesome life ufurp immediately. [* Pours the poifon in his ears: Ham. He poifons him i' th' garden for his eftate, his name 's Gonzago; the ftory is extant and written in a very You fhall fee anon how the murtherer gets choice Italian the love of Gonzago's wife. Oph. The king rifes. Ham. What, frighted with false fire! Queen. How fares my lord? Pol. Give o'er the play. King. Give me fome light: away ! P Pol. Lights, lights, lights! [Exeunt. i The qu's and C. read ufurps. m The fo's and all after, except C. e T. alters this to, and no creature, &c. read writ. followed by H. and W. n Very is read in the qu's and C. but f The 3d q. 4th f. R. P. and H. read omitted in all the other editions. bane. 8 The 1ft q. invected. h The 4th f. and R. read the. Pi's q. and H. read thou: • This fpeech of Hamlet is omitted in the qu's and P. P The qu's and C. give this speech to Polonius only; the fo's and the reft dire@ it to be spoke by all, SCENE Ham. Why let the ftrucken deer go weep, The hart ungalled play; For fome must watch, while fome must fleep; Thus runs the world away. Would not this, fir, and a foreft of feathers, if the reft of my fortunes turn Turk with me, with provincial rofes on my trais'd fhoes, get me a fellowship in a " players "? Hor. Half a fhare. Ham. A whole one, I. For thou doft know, oh Damon dear, This realm difmantled was Of Jove himself, and now reigns here A very, very,--- peacock. Hor. You might have rhym'd. This is Scene VII. in W. and J. The fo's and the editions after, exsept C, read fo inftead of thus. So the qu's. The reft read, with Iwo provincial, &c. The qu's read raz'd; the fo's and R.'s octavo, rac'd; his duodecimo, rack'd. P. and all the rest read, rayed; i. e. ftriped, Spangled, or enriched with shining ornaments. But this is no reading before P. and rais'd comes nearer the old reading raz’d. cry of Ham. Oh, good Horatio, I'll take the ghoft's word for a thousand pound. Didft perceive? Hor. Very well, my lord.' Ham. Upon the talk of the poisoning? Hor. I did very well note him. Ham. Ah, ha! come, fome mufic; come, the recorders. For if the king like not the comedy; Why, then, belike he likes it not perdy. Come, fome mufic. Enter Rofencraus and Guildenstern. Guil. Good my lord, vouchfafe me a word with you. Ham. Sir, a whole hiftory. Guil. The king, fir-- Ham. Ay, fir, what of him? Guil. Is in his retirement marvellous diftemper'd -- Ham. With drink, fir? Guil. No, my lord, with choler. с Ham. Your wifdom fhould fhew itself more richer, to fignify this to the doctor; for, for me to put him to his purgation, would perhaps plunge him into a more choler. Guil. Good my lord, put your discourse into some frame, and start not so wildly from my affair. Ham. I am tame, fir. --- Pronounce. Guil. The queen your mother, in moft great affliction of fpirit, hath fent me to you. Ham. You are welcome. Guil. Nay, good my lord, this courtesy is not of the right breed. If it fhall please you to make me a wholesome anfwer, I will do your mother's commandment; if not, your pardon and my return fhall be the end of my bufiefs. Ham. Sir, I cannot. 1 Guil. What, my lord? Ham. Make you a wholesome answer: my wit's difeas'd. But, fir, fuchanfwer as I can make, you fhall command; or rather, 1 as you fay, my mother. Therefore no more, but to the matter. My mother you say --fay-. Rof. Then thus fhe fays; Your behaviour hath ftruck her into amazement and adiniration. Ham. O wonderful fon, that can fo m'ftonifh a mother! but is there no fequel at the heels of this mother's admiration?--- Impart. Rof. She defires to speak with you in your closet éré you go to bed. Ham. We fhall obey, were fhe ten times our mother. Have you any further trade with us? Rof. My lord, you once did love me. Ham. And do still, by these pickers and stealers. |